Aldona Z. Wos M.D.

Aldona Wos was appointed by President George W. Bush as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Estonia from 2004-2006. Ambassador Wos focused on winning the hearts and minds of the next generation of Estonian leaders, Russian integration, HIV/AIDS prevention in Estonia, and preservation of Estonian culture. For her service, she was awarded the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana 1st Class, the Distinguished Service Cross of the Estonian Defense Forces, and the Cross of Merit of the Estonian National Police Board.

Ambassador Wos was born in Warsaw, Poland. Her father survived Flossenburg Concentration Camp, was a member of the Polish Home Army (AK), and received the “Righteous Among the Nations” medal from Yad Vashem. Ambassador Wos earned her MD at the Warsaw Medical Academy and completed her internship and residency in Internal Medicine including a fellowship in Pulmonary Medicine in New York City. President George W. Bush appointed Wos to the US Holocaust Memorial Council in 2002 and 2004.

Ambassador Wos received the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. Ambassador Wos holds an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the Institute of World Politics, and an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities from Greensboro College. Ambassador Wos was invested in the Sovereign Order of Malta. She served on the University of North Carolina’s Board of Governors. From 2013 to 2015, she served as North Carolina’s Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, overseeing more than 18,000 employees across North Carolina and a nearly $2 billion budget. Currently, Ambassador Wos serves on the boards of the Institute of World Politics, the Council of American Ambassadors, and the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. In April 2017, President Trump appointed Ambassador Wos as Vice Chair of the President’s Commission on White House Fellows.

She is married to Louis DeJoy and they live in Greensboro, North Carolina with their twins.

Ambassadorial Post(s)

Estonia, (2004 - 2006)

Areas of Expertise

  • Medical - Services
  • Public Affairs - Cultural